Freefall
by Orrymain
Summary: he events of “Watergate” concluded, Jack struggles to get back into Daniel's good graces when the young man seems inexplicably angry at Jack's decisions during the mission.


Freefall  
  
Author: Orrymain  
  
Author Email: marciastudleycomcast.net (Feedback welcome)  
  
Author Website:   
  
Category: Slash, Mini-Angst, Humor, Romance, Epilogue, Established Relationship  
  
Pairing: Jack/Daniel .... and it's all J/D  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Season: 4 - after "Watergate"  
  
Spoilers: Watergate, Foothold (minor)  
  
Size: 15kb, Vignette  
  
Written: May 28-29, 2004  
  
Summary: The events of "Watergate" concluded, Jack struggles to get back into Daniel's good graces when the young man seems inexplicably angry at Jack's decisions during the mission.  
  
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers -- not mine, wish they were, especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. A gal can dream though!  
  
Notes:   
  
1) Sometimes, Jack and Daniel speak almost telepathically. Their "silent" words to each other are indicated by asterisks instead of quotes, such as Jack, we can't.  
  
2) Silent, unspoken thoughts by various characters are indicated with in front and behind them, such as Where am I?  
  
3) This fic stands alone, but it does reference my past fics, "Hanging Around"  
  
4) Thanks to my betas who always make my fics better: QuinGem, Claudia, DrdjLover, Kalimyre!  
  
Freefall  
  
by Orrymain  
  
"Danny, come on. Admit it."  
  
"Admit what, Colonel O'Neill?"  
  
Daniel threw his jacket onto a chair and began to rifle through the mail as Jack stood a few feet away.  
  
"COLONEL O'NEILL? You're angry!"  
  
"What is it you want me to admit to ... JACK?" Daniel asked angrily, tossing the mail onto the counter that sat between the kitchen and the living room.  
  
At the same time, as Jack took off his brown leather jacket and tossed it so that it was atop Daniel's, he stated with assurance, "You enjoyed your first parachute jump."  
  
"My FIRST parachute jump?" Daniel said, turning fiercely to face his lover. "I'll have you know ... COLONEL ... that was my first and my LAST jump out of any plane!"  
  
"It was fun, Angel. Admit it!"  
  
"FUN? JUMPING OUT OF A FREAKIN' PLANE WITHOUT ANY TRAINING ON HOW TO OPEN THE PARACHUTE IS FUN? I BARELY KNEW WHERE THE O-RING WAS."  
  
"D-ring, Love."  
  
"Don't LOVE me right now, Colonel."  
  
Jack envisioned an icy night. He had to gain control of the situation.  
  
"Danny," he moved towards his partner, reaching out to touch the younger man's upper arms.  
  
Daniel stood still like a statue, folding his arms across his chest. He had on his poker face, totally expressionless. Jack ignored the barriers and continued his quest to restore harmony to his previously happy home.  
  
"You did super out there. You didn't complain or hold us back for one second. Geez, Danny, Teal'c whined and complained about it for minutes before we jumped, but you, you knew we had to do it, so you did what was necessary without a single word. I needed that, Angel; needed that support, and you gave it. I'm so proud of you, Danny."  
  
Jack was sure that would get him some points. His words were sincere, and he had genuinely been impressed with the bravery of his lover. Jumping out of a plane, especially in the situation they were in, was dangerous, and for first timers, the risk was even greater. Yet, standing there, Jack slowly became aware that he had made no progress whatsoever.  
  
"Is there anything else?" Daniel asked, his tone cold and distant.  
  
"Daniel, I don't get it. It's not like we had a choice here, and you didn't complain then, and I don't care what you are trying to say now, I know you, and you DID have fun. Didn't you? Come on, Danny. I know you did. You had to. It was a ... rush."  
  
No response came from the stoic young man. Jack finally lowered his arms, not sure what to do. His mind flashed back to the foothold situation the year before when Jack had left Daniel hanging from the ceiling along with others until Teal'c was able to free them once the aliens were overtaken. Jack had been busy with the aftermath of the situation, reporting to General Hammond, and Daniel hadn't taken kindly to being left ... hanging.  
  
Jack wondered if maybe this was something similar with Daniel somehow feeling abandoned or secondary, but before he could explore that possibility, Daniel suddenly steered their conversation in a new direction himself.  
  
"As if the jump wasn't bad enough, I landed in some heap of snow, didn't even know if I was right side up or facing down, and wondered why I was suddenly blind. I thought I might just die of stupidity before I finally realized that my eyes were shut. You weren't even there to be your usual sarcastic self. I was alone in the middle of nowhere."  
  
Jack worked hard not to laugh. He could just envision Daniel during the moment when he realized his eyes were closed, and he wasn't in some snowdrift after all, but just covered by the parachute that had fallen over him.  
  
"Then, the radio didn't work. Either that, or you were just ignoring me, and I had to find the freakin' place ... by myself, and break in, not knowing what I was going to find. Oh yeah, Colonel, I had a GREAT time!"  
  
Jack couldn't help it. He smiled. Seeing that, Daniel's eyes flared, anger emitting from him in all directions. Jack decided to stick with the silent tactic for the moment. He knew Daniel was about to erupt with more, and he was right.  
  
Daniel walked into Jack's personal space and asked harshly, "And tell me this, Jack, what was that ... CRAP ... about never having been in a submarine before? As I recall, I pushed a button not all that long ago that almost killed you ... WHILE YOU WERE ON A FREAKIN' SUBMARINE."  
  
Jack gulped a little as he tried to explain, "Well, it's just ... she didn't know that, and I was ... well, I was ..."  
  
"YOU WERE WHAT?"  
  
"Making conversation."  
  
"Making conversation?" Daniel repeated sarcastically.  
  
"I didn't want to go in that little thing so I was glad when she said there wouldn't be room."  
  
"Oh, so now you don't mind if we get separated on missions?"  
  
"Daniel, that's not what I said."  
  
"But it's what you meant, and more importantly, it's what you demonstrated."  
  
"For crying out loud, Daniel," Jack turned around, taking a few steps back.  
  
He raised his hands over his head for a moment, and then lowered them to his head, his fingers pulling his hair for just a moment from frustration. He turned back to face his lover. He decided the only course of action that would avoid a frozen night on the sofa was to make amends, regardless of whether or not he was right or wrong.  
  
"Okay. You're right. I'm wrong. I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"  
  
"You're just saying that. You don't really think you were wrong, and you don't really want to make it up to me."  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
"No, you don't."  
  
"I do, too," Jack insisted.  
  
"Do not."  
  
"Do, too."  
  
"You do not."  
  
"Yes, Daniel, I do."  
  
"Prove it."  
  
Jack growled as he thought.  
  
"Okay, I'll ..." he looked around the house as he searched his mind, "I'll make that fancy roast you like so much for dinner tomorrow night."  
  
"And?"  
  
'And?' Okay, progress. He's willing to negotiate. Negotiate? O'Neill, are you out of your mind? Grovel, man, grovel!  
  
"And ... tomorrow morning you can sleep in, and I'll do all the yard work by myself."  
  
"And?"  
  
"... and I'll do the laundry, even though it's your turn."  
  
"And?"  
  
'And?' This isn't groveling, it's highway robbery.  
  
"And," Jack sighed, "You can have control of the remote."  
  
"For how long?"  
  
"A day."  
  
Daniel stared, saying nothing.  
  
"The weekend."  
  
Daniel stared, still saying nothing.  
  
"Okay, a whole week."  
  
"And you have to watch ... AND pay attention to whatever we're watching."  
  
"Daniel ..."  
  
"Fine. I told you that you didn't really want to make it up to me."  
  
Daniel walked to the patio door and stared out the glass. Within seconds, he felt his lover's arms wrap around him and a kiss being planted on the side of his neck. He smiled just as Jack spoke the words he'd waited to hear.  
  
"Okay, Love. One full week. The remote control is all yours."  
  
Daniel turned around and began to prattle off a long list of shows they'd be watching, all from The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and even CourtTV. The list was endless, and Jack feared the effects of suffering from sports withdrawal.  
  
"Danny? The big game ..."  
  
Daniel smiled as he answered, "I believe that's opposite 'Forensic Files' so sorry, no can do."  
  
"Aw, Danny," Jack said plopping down on to the sofa, pulling a pillow across his chest.  
  
Then, Daniel began to laugh, one of his biggest laughs, in fact. Jack looked up confused.  
  
"Why are you laughing?"  
  
"Because ..." Daniel sat down next to his lover, his body sideways on the couch. He brought his right hand up to caress Jack's jaw line and neck. His eyes were suddenly soft, his voice tender. He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Jack's lips. "You're so easy, Babe. Gawd, now, that was fun!"  
  
The lightbulb suddenly went off, and Jack began to react, pushing the pillow away from him, but then Daniel placed a more solid, demanding kiss on his lover, and within seconds, Jack's arms were engulfing his lover.  
  
"You were teasing me?"  
  
"Hmm-mmm."  
  
"You're not mad about any of it?"  
  
"Nope. Why should I be?"  
  
"Daniel, you had fun jumping out of that plane, didn't you?"  
  
Daniel smiled, kissed his lover again, and whispered, "Yes."  
  
"Daniel?"  
  
"Yes, Jack?"  
  
Daniel began to nibble on his lover's ear.  
  
"You expect me to make the roast, let you sleep in, do all the yard work, the laundry, and let you have the remote control for a week?"  
  
"Hmm-mmm."  
  
"Geez, what you do to me," Jack said, giving in to their building passion.  
  
He can have whatever he wants, just as long as I'm part of what he wants.  
  
"Jack," Daniel said, pushing Jack away slightly. "I'm afraid we'll have to postpone ... this ... until you go shopping. With all you have to do tomorrow, you'll need to do the grocery shopping tonight."  
  
"But, Angel ..."  
  
"Get some coffee, too ... and chocolate."  
  
"Daniel, you said you weren't mad."  
  
"I'm ... not," Daniel kissed his lover again, his hand reaching down to cup Jack's groin, "but I want chocolate, and we're almost out of coffee."  
  
Jack moaned.  
  
"You're a vixen, Daniel Jackson."  
  
"You love me."  
  
"Yeah. Who would have thunk it?"  
  
"Thunk? Better buy a dictionary at the store, too," Daniel laughed in response, standing up to do a quick inventory of what was in the kitchen.  
  
A few minutes later, the grocery list was made, and Daniel was giving his soulmate a tender sendoff in the entranceway -- some hard core kissing and promises of what was to be when Jack returned.  
  
"I love you, Danny."  
  
"I love you, too. Jack?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know that I'm going to help with the yard work and do the laundry?"  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"But you do know ..."  
  
Jack laughed as he said, "Oh yeah, the remote is yours!"  
  
"We'll watch the game. I promise."  
  
"I know," Jack responded with confidence.  
  
The two lovers were great with the practical jokes, but when it came down to it, their mutual goal was to make the other happy. Daniel would never deprive Jack of an important sporting event, and they both knew it.  
  
"Jack," Daniel admitted, "jumping from that plane was easy to do because we were together, and I trust you, and I knew if you said it was okay, then it would be okay."  
  
"I'd never let you do something if I wasn't sure, absolutely sure, that you could handle it. You sell yourself short way too often, Love."  
  
"Maybe, but this was a piece of cake. After all, I had a parachute."  
  
"Yeah," Jack said with a laugh. "Having a 'chute does make a difference when it comes to a successful landing."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Jack, loving you is like ... a freefall. We don't have parachutes to give us a safe, tender landing. We only have each other to protect us from ... crashing, and in the end, that's all we need."  
  
"And," Jack added, pulling Daniel even closer, "the adventure is the loving and the living."  
  
"The freefall."  
  
"Our love," Jack said softly.  
  
They kissed some more and then Daniel finally said, "I'm getting my jacket."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The sooner we get this shopping done, the sooner we get to ... you know," Daniel said, blushing slightly in anticipation as he retrieved his jacket and put it on.  
  
"Geez, I love you."  
  
Daniel grinned as he kissed Jack again, and then the two headed out to do their shopping.  
  
When they got into the truck, Jack took Daniel's hand, asking, "Danny, are you really okay? This mission wasn't the easiest."  
  
"No, it wasn't, but it wasn't your fault."  
  
"But you still had to jump out of the plane, find that place on your own, ID all those dead bodies ... and ... I did let you go on the submarine by yourself. You could have died."  
  
"You could have, too, if the alien had turned out to be more hostile. Jack, we risk our lives every time we walk through the Stargate. We make choices and do things every day that could be life or death. I don't think we have time to second guess all of them."  
  
"But are you okay?"  
  
Daniel smiled sweetly, squeezing his soulmate's hand, and then answered, "I don't know, but if I'm not, when we get back, you can make all better. You have a special knack for doing that."   
  
Jack returned Daniel's smile and nodded. Then he said, "I am proud of you, Love. I only had to show you one time how to use the parachute. I was scared, Danny."  
  
"I know that, Jack, but we weren't in a situation where we could do or say anything to make each feel better, either. We will, though, discuss the submarine."  
  
Jack chuckled, knowing things really were okay. He added one more thought, "You know it was a mini-sub. I knew it had limited capacity."  
  
Daniel nodded his agreement, adding, "So that didn't leave many options, did it?"  
  
"No. Danny, I have faith in you. If I had my way, we'd never be separated, not ever, but I know that you have a very high capacity to deal with ... whatever is weird out there. I have faith in you to always come back to me."  
  
"What's amazing is that I have faith in you ... to always find me if I don't make it back. Good combination, huh?"  
  
"The best."  
  
"Let's go get those groceries. I want to ... you know."  
  
"Me, too," Jack said, his eyes sparkling from the anticipation of making love with his partner.  
  
They'd discuss the details of the mission more in depth later, but both knew they'd done their best. Still, they always talked about events from their adventures together. On this night, though, they had more important things planned. When they returned from the grocery store, they'd "you know" all night long, and that was the best type of freefall either of them knew!  
  
Finis - Finished - Done - The End - But is it ever Really? 


End file.
